1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in dietary fat reduction, and more particularly, to a method and composition for accumulating and binding of food fats in an animal body gastrointestinal tract and permitting the food fats to pass through the tract and out of the body through body excretia.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Weight reduction has been a significant problem, particularly in the industrialized and more affluent countries of the world, where food shortages are not pronounced. It has been well established that excess weight is not only undesirable from an aesthetic standpoint, but excess weight can result in or contribute to various health problems, and particularly coronary and coronary related problems.
There have been many proposed techniques and compositions to effectuate a weight reduction. Unfortunately, many of the currently available techniques and compositions can present serious adverse side effects if not properly used and thus, often require medical intervention and control. Notwithstanding, abuses with the currently available techniques and compositions can still occur.
Many of the presently available techniques and compositions to reduce weight rely upon controls over caloric in-take. However, the controls over caloric in-take are those which are most widely abused and which lead to serious adverse consequences including, but not limited to cases of drug dependence, such as amphetamine dependence.
Other compositions have been proposed to reduce gastric emptying. One known composition which has been studied as a control over gastric emptying and hence the amount of food in-take is guar gum. Still other fiber compositions have also been proposed to reduce gastric emptying time. While there are not necessarily serious side effects associated with some of the fiber compositions used to control gastric emptying achievement of weight reduction is relatively slow. As a result, the fiber compositions must be used over a substantial period of time. Many people become frustrated with only small incremental gains, i.e. weight decrease, and thus resort to more drastic remedies which can seriously affect their health. Accordingly, these gastric emptying compositions have met with only mild success.
Excess dietary fat in-take and absorption by the blood stream is one of the leading contributors to excess weight and therefore, it would be desirable to control dietary fat in-take. Various diets have been proposed for this purpose and which would be moderately effective in reducing fat-intake. However, essentially all of these diets compromise the culinary pleasures associated with food in-take and are oftentimes combinations of rather bland foods. Accordingly, many dieters abandon their dietary programs and hence their control over fat in-take.
It is also known that the in-take of dietary fats can result in increased levels of blood fats as for example, cholesterol and triglycerides. The increase of certain blood fats has also been established to be associated with increased risk of coronary problems. Hence, it is also desirable to reduce fat in-take in order to reduce the level of blood fats.
A cholestyramine resin offered under the trademark "Questran" has been available for reducing the cholesterol fat level in the blood stream. It has been found that there is an increased fecal loss of bile acids due to the administration of the cholestyramine powder resin. This leads to an increased oxidation of cholesterol to bile acids as well as a decreased beta lipoprotein and hence a decrease in serum cholesterol levels. However, many disadvantageous side effects have been associated with the administration of the Questeran cholestyramine resin powder. First of all, it has been found that the cholestyramine resin has a significant effect in delaying the absorption of other oral medicines. More importantly, there has been clear evidence that the administration of the cholestyramine resin prevents absorption of fat soluble vitamins. As a result, any fat soluble vitamins cannot be administered during the use of the cholestyramine resin. There has also been found to be a greater incidence of tumors occurring in rats when cholestyramine has been administered. Among the other side effects noted are adverse reactions during pregnancy, constipation, and abdominal discomfort. As a result, there is also some serious contra-indication for the use of cholestyramine in reducing serum cholesterol levels.
Heretofore, there has not been any demonstrably effective technique or composition for reducing the dietary fat absorption by the body without restrictive dietary plans. What is needed therefore is a composition and/or process which is capable of reducing the dietary fat metabolism and retention by the body without dietary controls.